DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 10, 11, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by DUAN et al. (US 20260138436 A1).
Regarding claim 1, DUAN discloses (Fig. 2) a variable transmission system for a hybrid electric vehicle, comprising an engine (1), a first motor (2), a second motor (16), a first gear (9), a second gear (8), a third gear (13), a fourth gear (12), an input shaft (3), an output shaft (5), a first synchronizer (C2-4), and a second synchronizer (C1EV-hyb3), wherein the input shaft (3) is connected to the engine (1), the first gear (9) and the second gear (8) sleeve the input shaft (3), the first synchronizer is connected to the input shaft (3), the input shaft is connected to or disconnected from the first gear or the second gear via the first synchronizer, the third gear (13) and the fourth gear (12) sleeve the output shaft (5), the second synchronizer is connected to the output shaft (5), and the output shaft is connected to or disconnected from the third gear or the fourth gear via the second synchronizer; and a shaft of the first motor (2) is connected to a fifth gear (11) and a sixth gear (14), the fifth gear (11), the first gear (9), and the third gear (13) drive each other (during the Hyb3 mode when the second synchronizer engages gear (13)), the sixth gear (14), the second gear (8), and the fourth gear (12) drive each other (during EV1 mode, when the second synchronizer engages gear 12), and a shaft of the second motor (16) is connected to the output shaft via a transmission mechanism.
Regarding claim 10, DUAN discloses at least one of the first synchronizer or the second synchronizer is a clutch.
Regarding claims 11 and 20, DUAN (see Fig. 4) discloses the variable transmission system has one or more of the following operation modes: a pure electric mode in which at least one of the first motor and/or the second motor drives the output shaft and is configured to achieve power shifting; a series mode in which the engine drives the first motor to generate electricity, and the second motor drives the output shaft; and a parallel mode in which the engine drives the output shaft based on a selected gear position, and the first motor and the second motor are separately configured to drive, generate electricity, or idle and achieve gear shifting.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-9 and 12-19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DEREK D. KNIGHT whose telephone number is (571)272-7951. The examiner can normally be reached Telework: From 5:30am-1:30pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ernesto Suarez can be reached at 571-270-5565. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DEREK D KNIGHT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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